Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the column “The Forzese Files” are those of the author and do not reflect the views of anyone here at 1Wrestling.com.

Nash

I will start by saying that I am a Kevin Nash fan. I have enjoyed what Kevin Nash has brought to the wrestling business
all these years. Kevin Nash has made a great career for himself without having the most in ring talent in the world. That
being said, I cannot disagree with Kevin Nash more on what has killed professional wrestling. Nothing has “killed”
wrestling but more like stunted the businesses forward motion. Smaller wrestlers have nothing to do with that. I loved
seeing Chris Benoit and Eddie celebrate in the ring together as World Champions to close out WrestleMania. That was
one great “WrestleMania moment”. I very much disagree with Kevin Nash’s assessment of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan
as well. Both are the only reasons I watch WWE programming right now, as I do not care for the majority of what else
I am watching each week. I truly enjoy the work of both men.

The death of wrestling, as Kevin Nash called it, is not the size of the wrestler but the lack of character development and
charisma, something of which Kevin Nash had plenty of. Kevin Nash’s best fiend Shawn Michaels was of a smaller
stature as well as was Bret Hart. Both were light years better than Kevin Nash in the ring but also possessed great
characters that fans could really get behind and indentify with, much like the characters of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
Kevin Nash proved that even a mediocre wrestler, given the right character can get over big with the fan base. Size has
nothing to do with any one wrestler’s success or failure in the year 2012.

When I was young I did enjoy the bigger than life wrestlers more so than the more technical, smaller wrestler. As I
grew older I cared about talent but more over I cared about who entertained me the most. I wanted the total package,
no not Lex Luger. I wanted someone with a great character that could wrestle and could give a decent promo. Talents
like “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Mr. Perfect and so on would make me watch the
program each and every week. I wanted to buy their merchandise because the character was so over the top cool. Kevin
Nash was like that as well but without the actual in ring wrestling ability.

The rock band Kiss is something similar to what I am talking about. Some fans got outraged that Tommy Thayer and
Eric Singer were to portray themselves as Ace Frehley and Peter Criss respectively. Kiss realized that the majority of
fans did not care about the person but the character. The Spaceman and Cat characters were what fans bought. That
fans wanted to see live and what all fans related to be what Kiss was all about. Four men that were characters that fans
loved and wanted to see live. I know Kiss removed the makeup and were still successful but would Kiss have been
initially as successful without the characters that were created to coincide with the music? Kiss understands that a great
character can far outlive the real person playing it.

Point is that great characters and the lack thereof is what is “killing” the product well more than the physical size of the
talents. John Cena is one of the worst wrestlers on the WWE roster right now yet is the companies most successful. Is
it coincidence that Cena has one of the better characters in the company and is allowed to cut promos without a robotic
script to read? How many talented in ring performers have been released by WWE because the wrestler did not get over
with the fans? All due to a lack of creative ideas to help create a character that all fans would embrace and want to get
behind each and every week (see Ryback). Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, none would become icons in this business if not
for the characters that the talents were able to get over with the fan base.

I know Kevin Nash was just trying to stay relevant in a business that has passed him bye but Kevin Nash cannot be
more wrong in what it is that is hurting the wrestling business right now. The fans general lack of interest is because
there is no wrestlers coming along that truly captivate popular culture as they once did CM. Punk should be that talent
but WWE has not put CM Punk in a position to truly be successful.CM Punk is always a secondary player to Cena,
Orton, and HHH.CM Punk has never been allowed to carry the company on his back regardless of whether CM Punk is
the current champion or not. If WWE does not fully believe in a talent then why should we the fans believe?

Bottom Line:

Once again I feel Kevin Nash could not be more wrong in what is “killing” the business right now. However, if Kevin
Nash had said that most talents cannot get a character over like I did and or cut a promo like I could then maybe I
could have gotten on board with Kevin Nash on that. To say the business “died” because talents who were shorter than
I yet twice as gifted in the ring were the cause, well that is plain stupidity and is just a way to get fans and wrestling
companies talking about Kevin Nash again. And for that, Kevin Nash once again made the most out of very little. A job
well done sir. You have just read another chapter of the Forzese Files and as always feedback is greatly appreciated.